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256 LUBOML
Kopelzon went to the commandant, who took the
valuables and said everybody would be set free in
a couple of days. But only a few were released.
Most of the others were taken to the Boris Woods
and shot.
While this was going on, the authorities
levied several heavy "contributions" from the
people. The first amounted to 100,00 rubles, the
second to 200,000 rubles; the third to 50 gold
pieces and fabric for suits. The sums were raised
with great difficulty and paid to the Germans. The
Jews still thought that by paying, their lot would
be improved: perhaps America would help; perhaps
the world. . . .
The Yellow Patch and Hunger
By then about 900 Jews had been murdered in our
shtetl. On Yom Kippur of 1941, the Ukrainians
petitioned the commandant to forbid the Jews to
live on the same streets with them. At the same
time an order came through making all Jews wear
a yellow patch. A fine of 10,000 rubles or shooting
was the punishment for not wearing the patch.
The command to leave the gentile streets and
villages came out in November, 1941. At the
same time a plan was issued telling the Judenrat
which streets were to be evacuated by the Jews
and indicating which streets were to be included
in the Jewish ghetto.
The next day the Judenrat informed the Jews
of the new evil decree: Jews could live only on
Kusnishtcher Street, on parts of Koshtshelna and
Chelm Streets, in Novy Svyat with its alleys, and
on Railroad Street, stretching from the house of
Chayim Sokolovsky to the former Starostva, near
Tseylingold's Hotel.
Living quarters in the shtetl became overcrowded.
Two or three families were forced to
live in one room. Then winter came; and as if to
spite the Jews it was a very harsh winter. Some
gentiles would sneak into Jewish homes early in
the morning to sell them some potatoes, wood for
heating, flour and other food. There was not
enough to feed the whole town. First of all, the
peasants did not have enough produce themselves;
and secondly they bartered for clothing, salt, or
kerosene, which not every Jew had, since the
greater part of the town had been burned down at
the time of the first battles.
The situation became desperate. Some Jews
even died of hunger or cold.
At the end of 1941, the Germans confiscated
all the food reserves anyone had and, instead,
issued food-ration cards, allowing a half-pound
of bread for adults and 4 ounces for children.
Passover was approaching. The Judenrat went
to the wealthier Jews and collected some money
from them. They gave this money to the commissar,
who permitted them to bake matzos and even
to sell some flour for this purpose.
The matzo was baked in secret, so as not to
inflame the Ukrainian police, who would confiscate
the flour since it was above the bread ration
allowed by the authorities. Despite difficulties,
the matzos were baked. The mashgichim [overseers
to check that the matzo was kosher for
Passover] were Leybl Dayen and Shmuel Avrom
Eltster. And during the excitement of matzo
baking, each and every one wished each other
"L'shana hubo b'Yirusholayim" (may we be in
Jerusalem next year).
Passover passed without incident. Jews came
together in various homes to pray and said memorial
prayers for the holy martyrs who had
lost their lives in 1941.
The Ghetto
On December 6, 1941 the ghetto was finally
organized. A summary death-penalty threatened
anyone crossing the borders of the ghetto. A
Jewish policeman would take the Jewish worker
to his place of work and bring him back at night.
There were two ghettos: one for artisans, set
aside along Koleyova Street, from Chayim
Sokolovsky's house up to Tseylingold's Hotel;
encompassing four houses on Chelm Street, between
Nute Fuks' house, up to the avenue
crossway; and a piece of Ludmir Street, up to the
post office and the house of Veytsfrucht. The
artisans living here had red work-cards. The
second part of the ghetto was situated along
Kusnishtcher, Ribne, and Koshtshelna Streets.
Day by day the situation was worsening. The
small reserves of food were used up bit by bit.
The peasants were forbidden to enter the ghetto to
sell any produce to Jews.
At that time, I and some other Jews were
working on the railroad. We had our cards with